Who's afraid of the Big Bad wolf?
by louann97
Summary: On her visit to Grannies Caroline meets a wolf; little does she know this could change her life forever... Little red riding hood Klaroline style!
1. Chapter 1

Caroline sat at the table in her kitchen, chewing slowly on a piece of toast. Around her, her mother LIz was running around frantically, making preparations and taking phone calls.

Caroline's granny had fallen sick and seeing as her house was quite a way from town, her mother had decided it was best if they made a little care package for her containing all the necessities that she may need. Liz was a very busy woman being the Sheriff of Mystic Falls and all, so she didn't really have much time to go and visit her mother – therefore this hamper and the note were the next best thing.

"Relax mum, you need to get to work; I'll take that basket to grannies for you." Caroline said soothingly as she picked up her plate and put it in the kitchen sink.

"You will sweetie? Thank you so much!" Her mother exclaimed as she put the finishing touches to the basket and covered it over. Liz was clearly exhausted; there had been a series of animal attacks lately making her life even more stressful than it normally was.

Caroline looked out of the window and saw that it was chucking it down with rain.

"Great." She mumbled out and went to the closet to pull out her red coat; she looked down at the flimsy pumps on her feet and established that it would probably be best if she put on her matching wellingtons too. She paced back into the kitchen and grabbed the hamper.

"Ah good, you've got your red raincoat and boots on; that she hold of the worst of the wet." Her mother smiled, but looked slightly concerned. Caroline nodded in response.

"Now honey; please just remember whatever you do stay out of those woods. There have been some attacks just lately and let's just say the next crime scene I have to go to, I don't want to see you dead in the center of it. Okay?" Her mother said seriously, her face paling at the thought of her daughter being killed.

"Yes mum..." Caroline mumbled back, before pulling her into a big hug and making her way towards the front door. Caroline opened the door and stepped out into the pouring rain.

"What a great way to spend my Saturday..." Caroline thought as she walked briskly into the town; there wasn't a single person in sight, it seemed they were all sensible enough to stay inside when the weather like this struck. Oh well... this was for her granny, and her granny was sick so she wouldn't let any rain stop her.

As she reached the center of town she looked to her left and saw the opening to the woods; if she went via the town it would take her at least another hour, but if she cut through the woods she could be at grannies house in less than half an hour. Caroline thought about how her mum spoke about all the animal attacks lately, but Caroline was sure nothing like that would happen to her; she was a sensible girl, and if cutting through the woods meant less time spent in this pouring rain, then it was the obvious option.

Caroline re-adjusted the basket on her arm before staring around her to check no one would see her quick trip into the woods, she knew people in this town were so nosy and somehow the news would manage to get back to her mother, and then she really would be in trouble.

She darted through the entrance to the forest and felt a rush of adrenaline flow through her; these woods had been out of bounds for at least the last 2 months, and sneaking in was the most rebellious thing she had done in so long. Caroline Forbes was always known as the good girl in town; and for once it felt good to break the mold.

Quickly, she walked through the forest; despite her nonchalance the thought of getting eaten by a wolf really did scare her. 15 minutes or so later Caroline found herself at the heart of the forest and she could hear the wildlife humming all around her. She stared around happily as she took in the sights, birds singing and flying, the trees swaying in the breeze; despite everything that had happened in these woods it was still a beautiful place.

Caroline looked down at her watch and quickened her pace as she realized that her granny was expecting her soon, however then she heard a small growl behind her and all the birds that had once been surrounding her fled.

Her heartbeat quickened, it was going so fast she was sure she may have a heart attack; she heard the growl again and this time it was closer, she was so petrified she found herself unable to move. She turned slowly, not wanting to make any sudden movements and looked behind her.

Caroline's eyes widened in shock as she took in the wolf before her, it was perched on its back legs, its large tongue lolling from its open mouth, its growls making her even more scared by each moment. However, she took the time to take in the beauty of it; he was pretty large, his coat a dark grey/brown color, his ears pricking up at the smallest of sounds and finally the beautiful large blue eyes.

The wolf seemed to become confused by the fact she wasn't running for her life, it cocked its head to one side and Caroline let out a small laugh as she realized that was a wolfs version of confusion. The wolf stretched out on its stomach and the growling stopped, he just stared at her serenely. Caroline couldn't help herself, she approached the wolf slowly and knelt down beside it and looked directly into its eyes. She was mesmerized.

"What big teeth you have..."

"What big ears you have..."

"What big eyes you have..."

Caroline muttered out in awe; truly amazed by how the beast hadn't made any movement towards her; gently she extended out a hand and buried it into the soft fur coat of the wolf, she felt him flinch and then relax, she slowly stroked his side and she was sure his face curved into one of enjoyment.

"Oh gosh, what am I thinking sitting her stroking a wolf when my granny is waiting for me!" She exclaimed, annoyed by her own stupidity. Caroline stood up quickly and turned to leave, but she couldn't resist a small parting wave at the wolf; she was sure she'd never see him again anyway.

As Caroline departed on her way to grannies the wolf found himself very confused; why hadn't he killed that girl just like every other person he'd come into contact with. He was mean and heartless; a complete killer.

Yet that girl had done something to him, he was enchanted by her; he intended to look out for her, he found himself hoping she'd be making another trip through the woods, and hopefully sooner rather than later...


	2. Stuck

When Caroline got back she informed her mother that despite the fact Granny was ill, she was looking reasonably well and that she loved the hamper that she had made for her. Liz smiled and it was as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, she was relieved that her mother was getting better. With all the animal attacks just lately she didn't need anything else to worry about.

Caroline smiled and excused herself before making her way up to her room; she stared over at her bed and saw the mountains of homework she had to do, oh well... that would just have to wait. She pulled off her boots, raincoat and the remainders of her clothes as she established she was in a desperate need of a shower; she was completely soaked from trekking through all those puddles in the pouring rain. Granny had wanted her to stay over-night at her house; but Caroline politely refused, her grannies cabin was far too near the woods for her liking and she didn't trust herself to not go wandering in the woods at the dead of night searching for a wolf she thought she'd had some weird connection with.

Yep. She, Caroline Forbes was definitely going crazy; this time she could blame it on the wet and cold weather... just this once.

Caroline made her way into the Forbes' small bathroom, most of the rooms in their house were small but they didn't need much. It had always just been the two of them ever since she was little; and they were living a one paycheck life, but Caroline liked their house, it was warm, cozy and had all the necessities they required. She turned on the hot water and began running the shower; once she had decided it had heated up sufficiently, she stepped in. She set to work scrubbing all over, grabbing a bar of soap and lathering it up. She could feel the heat warming up her frozen skin and it felt wonderful. She picked up the shampoo from the shelf and squirted some into her hands, she massaged it into her hair and it felt delicious. Caroline tried her best to think of anything other than the wolf, hence why she put all her focus into getting clean. Nevertheless, the more she attempted to distract herself the more her thoughts kept wandering...

...I wonder if he's still there?

Maybe he feels cold from the wet and rain?

I wonder how many people he's killed?

No matter what she did there was something so entrancing about the wolf, something that kept her thinking; she remembered the way its piercing blue eyes had looked into hers and she was sure in that moment there had been some weird understanding between the two of them. She remembered how the large wolf had just laid still before her as she stroked his coat. He really had been an exquisite animal.

Caroline, sick of dwelling on something as stupid as a wolf, stepped from the shower and toweled herself off; before tugging on her pajamas, putting her hair up into a messy bun and sitting herself down on the bed. She stared unenthused for a moment or two at the pile of homework at the end of the bed. She knew she'd have to do it eventually, and tonight she would welcome the distraction. Caroline leant forward and pulled her Biology book from the side; she had a test coming up soon so she knew she'd better start revising. She puffed up her pillows, leant back, opened the book and gave a sigh as she took in the information.

Biology was _so _not her thing.

The wolf found himself restless too that night, he'd transformed into his wolf form to protect himself from any potential danger; he had to lie low for a while. Unfortunately, Klaus had pissed off more than a few people at his previous wolf-pack; he couldn't help himself, it wasn't his fault that he had some issue with needing to be the Alpha male all the time, well that's how they had put it anyway. He didn't expect they'd find him here in the little woods that were known as Mystic Falls, it was the perfect hideout. He could get himself food anytime he liked from the never-ending plants in the forest, but the problem was people often stumbled across him in wolf form and that always ended badly; they would scream and run, and he would end up having to kill them to keep them quiet. Well aside from today, today had been the exception...

The gorgeous curly haired blonde girl who had walked through the forest today in her ridiculously bright red coat and boots had caught his eye. As he came upon her he noticed her taking in all the wonders that were in this forest; and she'd heard him, she turned and she'd just stared at him. She didn't try to run, or scream, or cry; he could tell she'd been scared but she did her best not to show it. Klaus had felt something for that girl; the one that didn't run, as she knelt down and stared into his eyes he felt like she knew everything about him. He'd felt some kind of connection between the two of them. He knew it sounded ridiculous, a girl like her would never believe such things as connections with wolves! It was probably all some ridiculous story he had imagined from being a lone-wolf for so long. Klaus stretched out his limbs and rolled over in the mud; he really did need to transform back into his human form sometime soon as he'd been in his wolf form for a long period of time, and all werewolves know that the longer you stay in wolf form, the more it hurts to transition back. Klaus brushed off the thought and went back to switching off his thoughts and enjoying his inner wolf; nothing could compare to the adrenaline rush you felt whilst in animal form.

When Caroline Forbes awoke the next day she knew what she was going to do; she wanted to help the people of Mystic Falls, she was going to attempt to tame the wolf. She wasn't sure why he was attacking people, or even if it were her wolf who was causing the trouble; but she had deduced that if she brought it some food then maybe it would see it as some kind of peace offering or something? Or maybe she was just being stupid thinking that wolves could understand things such as peace offerings; she liked to think her wolf did, he seemed different to her.

Caroline waited until her mother had left for work and then went and raided their fridge. Inside she found a plate of cooked steak and a packet of chicken. She decided to take them both; but then Caroline had second thoughts, should she cook the raw chicken? She rolled her eyes at her indecision and decided to shove it in the oven anyway; she waited for the oven to reach the desired temperature and placed it in. Caroline then grabbed another basket from the cupboard, placed the cooked meat in the tub and then threw some crisps for herself into the basket too. Once again she made her way to the cupboard and pulled on her coat and boots, because no surprise… it was raining again. She picked up the basket, grabbed a key and left the house.

Caroline paced towards the forest once more, hoping like crazy that her wolf would be there again.

"My wolf?" She exclaimed to herself as she walked.

"Man, I'm really going A-class crazy…" She muttered.

She entered the forest and quickened her pace, her heart racing with anticipation.

Would the wolf be there?

Finally, Caroline reached the heart of the forest in record time; she stared around her but saw no sign. She gave a huff of exasperation and disappointment. She sat on a nearby tree stump and pulled out her packet of crisps, she chomped on them eagerly in an attempt to console herself.

Then… Just as she ate the last crisp in the packet, she saw a small, furry face appear from the trees. She cracked a smile as she saw the wolf emerge.

"Hi." She muttered slowly, staring intently at it. But funnily enough she didn't feel a slight bit foolish; this wolf was different he _did _understand.

The wolf approached her slowly, she could sense his wariness but she guessed that was typical animal instinct. She followed its example and slowly walked towards it too, the tub of food grasped in her hands.

"So, I don't know what you like; but I brought you some food. Thought you might feel a bit hungry out here…" She stated, mainly to herself because she knew that it was stupid trying to make conversation with a wolf that was clearly unable to reply.

The wolf cocked his head to the side, as if assessing the situation; then he nodded once and sat down, before raising his gaze to hers. Caroline took this as an invitation and walked even closer, she sat down beside the wolf and pulled the lid off the meat. She placed it in front of him, and she felt the wolf give her a sidelong glance before digging in.

She had to admit, for a wolf and a completely wild animal, he ate pretty delicately. She was surprised by how the wolf suppressed his animal instinct and ate the meat slowly; it was almost as if he wanted to be polite in her presence.

Caroline let out a small laugh as he finished the food and settled down on all fours, lying comfortably beside her on the ground. Caroline put the lid back on the tub and put it on the ground beside her before finding herself unable to resist temptation. She once again buried her hands in the wolfs fur, and began to rhythmically stroke his side; up and down gently. The wolfs body hummed beside her, almost as if he were indicating to her that he enjoyed it.

"So, I was thinking. You've seen how I've given you food. And I'll come back and give you food everyday as long as you stop attacking the people of Mystic Falls – deal?" Caroline said feeling foolish again for trying to make a deal with an animal. She flipped her hair over her shoulders in exasperation as the rain became heavier; she realized that was her cue to go. Slowly Caroline got up from the floor and picked up the tub; she placed it back in the hamper and shut the lid.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then wolf." Caroline said simply, before turning and leaving. Making the journey back home in the rain was going to be seriously depressing; and Caroline imagined how flat her curls must be from the rain now, she kicked herself in annoyance as she should have known it was pointless to curl her hair this morning. – Seriously, there was no one to impress; it wasn't like a wolf gave a damn about what she looked like.

Klaus once again, found himself seriously conflicted. The beautiful girl, who he still didn't know the name of, had come today and brought him food and been so kind and gentle to him. He swore he could still feel her hands over every inch of him. There was definitely something between the two of them, and that's why he knew that he had to transform out of his wolf form; it was time he and this gorgeous girl met for real, it was time for them to finally have a proper conversation.

Klaus wandered into a large area of open space in the forest and braced himself ready for the change; he knew how much it hurt, no matter how many times a person changed the pain never really dulled. He closed his eyes and tensed every muscle in his body…

But nothing happened.

He'd been in wolf form too long…

…He was stuck….

**Thanks for reading! – Reviews are very much appreciated! :D**


	3. Hello Love

Klaus was worried; actually Klaus was beyond worried, he couldn't get out of his wolf form which meant he'd be stuck like this for the rest of his life. He liked to change into a wolf once in a while because it gave him the freedom he felt he needed, but he craved a human life again. Furthermore, now that he was pretty sure he could never get it back, he wanted it even more. If he couldn't get his human form back it would mean he would never really meet the fearless blonde girl who walked through the forest.

"Caroline! Caroline!" Liz shouted from downstairs in the kitchen, Caroline came rushing down the stairs worrying that there was some kind of emergency.

"What's up mom?" Caroline asked, concerned by the urgency in her mother's tone.

"Your granny just called me, she's feeling even worse and she needs some more things, but she can't go out to get them. That's why I need you to take another trip to her house for me." Liz said, with a desperate look in her eyes. Caroline let out a sigh of exasperation as she looked out the window, it was Friday night and just getting dark but she hadn't been to the woods in a couple of days and couldn't resist the thought of seeing her wolf.

"Sure mum, I'll do it." She muttered out, Liz pulled her into a huge, grateful hug. Before placing the newest basket on the kitchen table, grabbing her sheriff's badge out of the cupboard and clipping it onto her belt. She than found her coat, and gun.

"I've got to go out sweetie; it seems even more wolves have migrated to the area and have been causing a whole lot of trouble. I'm going to be out late, so either stay at grannies or don't bother waiting up for me." Caroline's mother rushed out, before kissing her briefly on the forehead and dashing out the front door.

Caroline grabbed some extra food from the refrigerator for the wolf and shoved it into the basket; luckily for once it wasn't raining, so she just pulled on a thick red cardigan that her granny had bought her a while back.

Klaus could sense that something was wrong in the woods, his ears pricked up and his nose twitched as he sensed some unfamiliar presence. He raised his nose to the air and inhaled, he could smell...

...Other wolves.

Klaus let out a long howl to announce his presence, he instantly regretted it though, as he picked up a familiar scent; his old wolf pack had found him.

He was unsure of how to continue, but he found himself backing away from the potential threat rather than facing it head on; he'd evaded them pretty well up until now, so he decided to travel deeper into the forest to avoid them.

Caroline reached the heart of the forest and heard some pretty unsettling sounds; they were howls and growls and all other forms of hostility. She knew that she'd stumbled upon the wolves that had migrated here and who had been causing all the trouble just lately. From the pictures she'd seen in her mother's file she knew better than to get anywhere near them, these weren't like her wolf. They wouldn't hesitate to chase her and rip her to pieces. Caroline hoisted up the basket on her arm and began running as fast as she could; she needed to put as much distance between them as possible.

She ran and ran and ran, yet the forest seemed to be never ending; she heard a growl and threw a look over her shoulder, but saw nothing. However, she was distracted as she looked behind and tripped on a tree branch; she toppled to the ground and landed with a thud. She looked down and saw her cut knee and the blood that was slowly oozing from the small scratch, looking up she knew she'd worked herself right into the hands of the wolves. She looked around her and saw them approaching her in a slow and predatory way; there were at least 8 of them and they were rapidly coming closer and closer. She knew she could have run, but that would have only drawn out the inevitable; instead she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, waiting for the first strike to hit.

Just as she was sure she felt claws upon her face, a loud growl rang out across the forest, and a large, muscular, dark grey wolf pounced from the bushes.

Her wolf had come to save her.

The wolves turned their attention away from her and towards her wolf, she rose from the floor and watched the scene play out before her; feeling helpless as she could do absolutely nothing to help. The pack of wolves pounced on her wolf again, and again and again. Clawing at him and tearing chunks of fur away and leaving him bleeding; however every time he beat them away, knocking them to the ground.

When there were only four wolves left her wolf was left practically dead, his body was drooping and blood flowing from every inch of his body; but he refused to give up. He bit into the throat of one attacker as it threw himself at him, and he curled himself into a ball and propelled himself at another, throwing it to the ground and knocking it out.

The last two wolves seem to survey the bodies of their pack lying on the floor surrounding them; they let out a small and pained yelp before running rapidly away. Obviously not wanting to face their odds against her big, brave wolf.

Caroline looked over towards where her wolf had once stood and saw him lying in a pool of blood, some chunks of flesh hanging from his body here and there. The sight was truly horrendous; she ran rapidly towards him and threw herself on the ground beside him, she wasn't sure how to check for a pulse on an animal, so Caroline leant her head against its chest and did hear a very faint heartbeat. She knew she owed this animal her life and Caroline knew what she had to do.

"I'll be right back." She muttered to him softly, before grabbing the basket she had left on the side and running the rest of the way to grannies house.

Klaus couldn't decide whether he was alive or dead; but all he knew was that he was in excruciating pain. He had thrown himself whole-heartedly into a fight with his old wolf pack when he saw how they had begun to stalk the girl. He'd felt a pang of fury run through him as they approached her; he didn't know her name, but already he knew he would kill everyone and everything that ever attempted to do her harm.

"I'm back." Klaus heard a voice say, and a blonde head come into his vision. Ah, his girl was back to save him. He knew he was safe in her hands.

He felt something being injected into his side, and after that everything went black.

Caroline had run all the way to grannies to drop of the hamper and to quickly grab all the things she would need to nurse the wolf back to health. She'd found some old horse-tranquilizer in her grannies barn and knew that would do the trick of knocking out the wolf whilst she stitched him up. Caroline also grabbed a medi-kit and a needle and thread, knowing that he had some pretty bad wounds that would require a whole lot more than bandages. After that she grabbed a blanket and picked up a bucket and filled it with some warm soapy water and grabbed a cloth, she'd need to clean off his mangled fur too; it was covered in a thick layer of blood.

When Caroline arrived back at the site of the dead wolf she was nervous of how to continue; she saw how he was moving around slightly so she quickly injected him with the tranquilizer, he was unconscious in a matter of seconds and she knew she was safe to proceed.

She set straight to work stitching up all the major injuries that wouldn't stop bleeding as she discovered that any more blood loss would surely kill him. After that she bandaged up the other less major injuries. When she was done she sat back and admired her work; yes, she really had done a good job. As if on cue the rain began to fall slowly and Caroline knew she'd have to get him out of the wet.

Caroline saw deeper in the forest there was some kind of cave or sheltered alcove; she decided that would probably be her best bet. Her only problem was the fact that this wolf probably weighed an absolute ton; nevertheless she grabbed it by its back legs and began to slowly drag it towards the cave. She was thankful that it was asleep right now, because she figured this probably would have been pretty painful for him. She flinched every time they went over a bump in the path or a rock, worrying that the wolf's stitches had broken and he'd begin to bleed again.

Finally, they arrived at the mouth of the opening; Caroline ran back and grabbed the blanket she'd got earlier and laid it down on the damp floor of the cave, she then laid the wolf on it. She was worried what to do next; she couldn't just leave it knocked out here, those other two wolves might come back for round two, and her wolf couldn't protect himself in this state. She decided that she had no other choice other than to stay the night here and look out for it. She pulled her phone from her pocket and text her mom to tell her that Elena had asked her last minute to stay the night at hers; she felt slightly guilty about lying to her mother about it, but then again, she wouldn't have met this wolf if she hadn't have defied her mom in the first place.

Caroline realized how dark and late it must have been; she felt a yawn rise within her and only just noticed how tired she was. She leant back against the cave wall and tried to fall asleep; however she had no such luck, she was wet and freezing and had absolutely nothing to protect her from the wind that whistled around this cave. She looked around the cave for inspiration before her gaze fell upon the wolf; he had a furry coat, and if she lay beside it, his body would block the wind from her. Slowly she crept towards the wolf and lay beside it; she instantly felt warmer and drifted off into sleep.

When Caroline awoke she was unsure where she was, but then she remembered the events of the night before and realized she was still camped out in the cave. She had one arm draped over the wolf beside her, who for some reason felt surprisingly different. She rolled over to check him over to be faced with the fact she was lying beside a completely naked man.

"WHAT?" Caroline exclaimed in shock, taking in the sight before her, her eyes trailed down his body taking in all the stitches and scars and….

Whoa… she stopped looking as a blush rose in her cheeks.

Thoughts swam around her head, and she wondered what the hell had happened to her wolf, and what an earth was this naked guy doing here.

She paced around the cave wondering what she was going to do; after-all she couldn't exactly wake him up, he was _completely_ naked for god sake – that would be a very embarrassing moment!

She felt something stir behind her she turned and came face to face once more with the man she had found herself lying beside only minutes ago.

"Hello love; I'm so glad we finally get to meet in person…"


	4. Truth

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?!" Caroline exclaimed in shock.

"You don't recognize me sweetheart?" Klaus spoke with a very sincere expression on his face. Caroline shook her head in denial and Klaus's face fell.

"I'll give you a clue: What big teeth you have, what big ears you have, what big eyes you have..." He replied with a smirk across his face, whilst chuckling slightly.

"No way, you are _not _the wolf; what are you crazy or something?" Caroline exclaimed, her face reddening at the idea that this guy was the wolf whom she'd built such a connection with.

"It's true love, and deep down you know it." He continued simply, with a stubborn expression.

Despite how much Caroline wanted to deny it she realized they had the same mannerisms; the way he dropped his head slightly, and the way he held himself; and it couldn't be denied that his eyes were the same piercing blue as her wolf.

"Oh god..." Caroline trailed off, her face paling as she realized the truth.

"But... people... they're not just wolves!" She tried to reason with herself, despite the fact she understood who he really was. Klaus just stood before her as she processed.

"Okay, I get it; you're the wolf - Now do you think you could cover yourself up, or is that too much to ask!?" She exclaimed, his naked proximity was not only embarrassing but also very distracting.

"Whatever you say sweetheart." Klaus replied, and bent down to reach for the blanket.

"AH." A whimper escaped his throat as he reached for the blanket to cover himself; Caroline noticed that he had split his stitches in his side. Well, there really was no denying it, he was the wolf; he had the battle wounds to prove it.

"Ohmygod! Stay right there!" Caroline shouted, worried by the amount of blood that was flowing from the wound. She picked the blanket from the floor and tied it securely around his waist, and suddenly the embarrassment she felt dissipated and she noticed how much pain this man really was in.

Klaus had to lean against the wall to support himself; his macho facade cracking.

"Where do you live?" Caroline asked him gently.

"A little deeper in the woods, not too far from here." He said, the energy required for speaking obviously too great. Caroline pulled his arm over her shoulder and they began the slow walk from the cave.

"Don't try to speak, just point me in the right direction." Caroline said understandingly.

It took them at least an hour, Caroline lost track of time; they had to stop at least 3 times for Klaus to rest. Finally, they reached a small overgrown area of the woods where a small cabin was hidden. Klaus was practically passed out on her shoulder so Caroline couldn't confirm whether it was his home or not, but she imagined it was considering she didn't know of anyone else who lived this far out. She dragged them slowly towards the door and was relieved to find it unlocked, she pushed it open and navigated through the small rooms until she found the bedroom. It was small, but had all the things he required. She laid him down on the bed and grabbed a cloth from the bathroom to press tightly against the wound whilst she contemplated where he kept the things in his house.

She decided that she'd probably find a needle and thread lying around in one of the kitchen draws somewhere. Caroline made a quick dash from the bedroom to the kitchen and raided the draws; luckily she found what she was looking for. She ran back to the bedroom and saw that he'd awoken from his daze.

"I'm sorry, this is going to hurt - but I don't have any time to look for something to numb the area." Caroline thread the needle and tied a knot at the end, she then removed the cloth from the wound on his side and quickly began to stitch. She felt him flinch on the bed and she quickened her sewing, wanting to complete it as quickly as possible.

"So I was thinking sweetheart; we don't even know each other's names. Mine's Klaus for the record." He mumbled between gasps of pain.

"Well Klaus, it would have been much nicer to meet you under less painful and confusing circumstances; but I'm Caroline and it's great to meet you." Caroline exclaimed as she finished sewing the wound. She pulled the thread tight to ensure the stitches were secured and cut off the left over.

"As much as I love this blanket; any chance you could pass me some clothes." Klaus asked quietly. Caroline just nodded before looking through his draws, she picked out the biggest and baggiest clothing she could find in the hope it wouldn't irritate his wounds. She passed them over to him.

"Um, do you need some help?" Caroline asked timidly, a blush rising in her cheeks.

"No, I think I can manage. I'll give you a call if I need some assistance." Klaus replied, looking equally as embarrassed.

"Okay, um…I'll be in the kitchen. Would you like me to make you some tea?" She asked.

"Yes that would be great thanks." He replied and Caroline took that as her cue to leave.

She made her way into the kitchen and rooted around in his cupboards to find some mugs and teabags, she boiled the water in a saucepan on the stove because he didn't seem to have a kettle. Actually, he didn't seem to have anything modern at all; she looked in the cupboards to see he had basically no food, and she saw in the fridge that there was no milk – well, it was a good job she liked her tea black. The water began to boil and she poured it into the mugs, before carrying them through to Klaus's room.

"Is it safe to come in?" She inquired.

"Yes." Klaus replied.

She entered to find him propped up on his pillows, he was wearing a pair of sweatpants but had opted to leave his top half bare; Caroline averted her eyes as to be honest the view was almost _too _good. She set the tea upon the dresser behind him and stood awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed.

"Sit yourself down on the chair love; I guess you want some explanations." Klaus said tiredly, as he pointed to a chair opposite the bed. Caroline nodded and followed his instructions.

"So what do you want me to explain first?" Klaus asked.

Caroline screwed her face up in indecision before speaking, and Klaus found it oddly adorable.

"What are you?" She asked quietly, as if she were afraid to hear the answer.

"A werewolf." He replied simply, not bothering to go into detail.

"And how did you become a werewolf?" Caroline asked interested, and she was surprisingly calm considering how she just discovered the reality of supernatural beings.

"I was born this way."

"Why don't you choose to stay in human form permanently?" She asked confused, trying to establish why he changed if he had a choice.

"Once in a while it's nice to let the inner animal run free, to follow the instinct. And all werewolves have to change on a full moon anyway." Klaus explained, a smirk rising on his face as he saw how Caroline was really not startled by anything he was telling her.

"So when you met me, why didn't you change out of wolf form so we could actually meet properly?" She continued.

"I wanted to from the moment I met you love, I could tell there was something between us and I wanted to meet you properly. However, I'd been in wolf form so long that I got stuck; I wanted to transition back but I couldn't. It seems me getting injured was the key to triggering my change."

Caroline nodded the thought process in her mind very evident.

"And why were you in wolf form so long? And why do you live out here in the middle of nowhere?" She rapidly fired the questions.

"Because I had a disagreement with my last pack, you met them earlier actually; they were some of the wolves that attacked you. I was trying to avoid them and my best bet was to come out here; no offense love but Mystic Falls really is the middle of nowhere." Klaus joked.

"Okay it's my turn to ask the questions now." Klaus insisted as Caroline had apparently run out of things to quiz him on.

"That first day in the woods, why didn't you turn and run away?" He asked curiously, because he knew from past experiences that was everyone's natural reaction; but not hers it seemed.

"I could tell you were different, deep down I knew it; I was drawn to you. I couldn't help it – Believe me, I tried to forget about the mysterious wolf I met in the forest, but I just couldn't; if I believed in fate I would say that it was meant to be." Caroline spoke slowly, a blush rising in her cheeks once more.

"So I was thinking Klaus, are you going to be revealing yourself to the rest of Mystic Falls anytime soon?" Caroline asked hopefully.

"No love; there are still some of my old pack left, I can't risk them tracking me down. Also, I'm having a little problem with my father. Well, he's not exactly my father – but he's looking for me too. I've got to wait it out here until I'm well enough to transition back into my wolf form." He replied; and Caroline was sure she detected a note of sadness in his voice.

"Well then, I'm going to go into town and get you some supplies; seriously you have practically nothing in this house. If it weren't for me, I'm pretty sure you'd starve to death!" She exclaimed.

"Oops, I forgot to check in with my mom!" Caroline said guiltily as she looked down at her ringing phone. She pressed green and held the phone to her ear, whilst pressing her finger to her lips and motioning to Klaus to keep quiet.

"Hi Mom!" Caroline said brightly.

"No, I'm still at Elena's; we're going shopping later and then her family invited me over for dinner. So, yeah… I probably won't be home till late." She saw Klaus raise an eyebrow suggestively, as he wondered what they were going to be up to for her to be out that late. She frowned back and couldn't resist sticking her tongue out at him. That promptly shut him up.

"Okay thanks mom, don't work too hard okay? Yes, I love you too!" Caroline finished the phone call and hung up.

She turned to Klaus and smirked.

"Okay, I've got the day free. I'm going out to get you some supplies, and then I'm going to come back and cook for you. – No offence, but I get the impression you can't cook to save your life." Caroline said sarcastically.

"Actually sweetheart; I'm a very accomplished cook. But this time I'll let you cook; next time however, prepare yourself for the most delish food you've ever eaten." Klaus said smugly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! Now take those pills I put on the side for you and go to sleep!" She retorted. With that she rose from her chair and began to make her way from the room; then she had second thoughts. She approached Klaus where he sat propped up in bed and sat gently on the edge of the bed, before lowering her head towards his. Their lips were practically centimeters apart, and Caroline could feel the buzz of attraction between the two of them. Slowly she closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to his gently, but almost as soon as it began she pulled away. She could sense Klaus's disappointment but he smiled at her and like a gentleman, said nothing.

"What was that for love?" he inquired with a glint in his eye.

"That was to say thank you for saving my life earlier, I never got round to say thank you… so yeah… thanks." Caroline stuttered out.

"Oh it was, was it?" Klaus teased.

"Okay… it was also because I've wanted to for ages!" Caroline exclaimed, and saw Klaus's smirk grow. She let out a small laugh, before rising from the bed and leaving.

Caroline strode away from Klaus's small house feeling amazing, among other emotions. She couldn't believe everything that had happened over the week. It felt like ages ago that she met that wolf that turned out to be a man…

And a pretty wonderful one too…

**Hi!  
I just wanted to say thank you to the people who have reviewed so far; and it would be lovely to hear from more of you!**

**In response to reviewer Elliichen: In this story Klaus is just a normal werewolf, I'm glad that you're enjoying the story and thanks for your review! **


	5. Triggered Transition

Caroline walked around the small store in Mystic Falls with a spring in her step; she perused the isles and slung thousands of different items into her trolley; not understanding how Klaus had survived without all these things.

When she reached the meat isle she found herself stumped; what did Klaus want to eat? Then again; seeing as he was a werewolf she imagined he wasn't exactly picky, in his animal form he probably ate whatever creature he could get his hands on. Caroline slung a selection of produce into her trolley deciding she could select later.

She hummed and sang along to herself as she finished up and made her way up to the checkout.

"Care!" She heard a voice shout from the entrance and a girl run up behind her and embrace her.

"Hey Elena." Caroline replied, hugging her tightly back; it seemed like she hadn't seen her friend in ages.

"Ohmygod, I've missed you so much - where have you been lately?!" She exclaimed.

"I've umm... been around; my grannies sick I've been spending quite a lot of time with her..." Caroline trailed off, feeling slightly guilty despite the fact she wasn't completely lying.

"Well we have to make up for lost time; summers not that long you know! There's a party in the woods tomorrow, all the kids in town are breaking the ban; we're meeting Bonnie at hers at 7. Be there!" Elena shouted before dashing out of the store to meet Stefan. Caroline rolled her eyes at Elena's retreating figure; it seemed she always had some place to be. As for the party in the woods she wasn't convinced; it was just a time for all the cocky jerks from Mystic Falls High to get completely drunk and hit on every girl in sight, not classy at all...

Also; she was worried that a party in the woods could cause exposure for Klaus. Caroline shook of the thought, Klaus lived very far into the woods; there was no way any drunk teenager was going to venture that far in.

"That'll be $30." The cashier said, snapping Caroline from her thought process. She handed over the money and thanked him. She gathered up her things and looked at her watch, she saw that it read 6:00; she figured it was pretty early for dinner, but it would take her quite a while to get to Klaus's and she couldn't wait to see him again - there was something about him that she was drawn to.

Caroline paced from the store and across to her car, she slung her bags in the back and drove to the outskirts of the forest and parked her car where it couldn't be discovered; after-all venturing through the forest was frowned upon.

As Caroline made the long walk through the forest Klaus was busy clearing up his small house; he didn't have many things so he knew it wouldn't take him long, he moved slowly not wanting to damage his stitches. He started in the kitchen, putting various things in to cupboards, wiping down surfaces and generally making sure everything looked clean and tidy. It was a vast improvement, especially considering living as animal meant cleaning was not high on your list of priorities.

He ventured into his hallway cupboard, one that he hadn't opened in forever, and put away some old items he didn't want hanging around. As he pushed them in, he noticed the box lodged at the back; he frowned, unsure as to what it was - he reached in and gave it tug, it slid free in a cloud of dust.

Slowly Klaus eased of the lid and came face to face with a vibrant shade of red. This puzzled him even more, he eased the item out of the box and discovered it was a red cloak; he remembered finding it here when he last stayed here. The material was so fine it seemed a shame to keep it tucked away in the cupboard, he slung it over a chair giving it a chance to air.

Just as he was about to go and change ready for Caroline's arrival, he heard a knock on the door.

"Klaus?" Caroline was here already, and he had nothing but his pajama pants on; he gave a grunt of annoyance, before brushing the dust from his hair and pants, and answering the door.

"Caroline; so lovely to see you." He said invitingly as he opened the door. She paced in looking gorgeous, with arms full of shopping bags.

"Woah; you've been busy..." Klaus said as he took in her appearance.

"Yep; I'm pretty sure I raided half of Mystic Falls store." She responded with a laugh as she placed a hand on Klaus's shoulder.

They stared at one another for a moment or two completely oblivious to the world around them; both were thinking how natural it seemed to be around each other.

Caroline was the first to break their locked gazes.

"I guess I'd better get started on the food... and you need to put a shirt on!" She exclaimed embarrassed. As she turned away Klaus grabbed her hand and pulled her back, she bumped fully into his chest feeling every curve and impression of his muscles.

"Why love; you're not distracted are you?" Klaus whispered seductively into her ear, causing a surge of energy through her body thanks to his close proximity.

"Um...wh-y...n-n-no..." She stuttered out, thoroughly distracted by the strong arm Klaus had wrapped around her waist to keep her secure against him.

"Really?" He inquired leaning closer and cocking an eyebrow suggestively.

"Oh who am I kidding?!"She exclaimed defeated, grabbing his face between her hands and pulling him down towards her, connecting their lips and causing the energy between them to surge; Klaus pulled her even closer igniting every nerve in her body. His hands knotted in her shirt as the kiss depend, he backed her against the counter and a growl escaped him as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He began undoing her shirt buttons with one hand, whilst shoving all other items of the counter with the other, they promptly fell to the floor and smashed; but that didn't distract them. He hoist her onto the counter and discarded her shirt at long last.

"AH!" Klaus exclaimed, backing rapidly away from Caroline and falling to the floor. Curling his body into a ball as his limbs began to crack and make many disconcerting noises that snapped Caroline from her current train of thoughts.

"Klaus, what's happening?" She asked concerned, pulling on her shirt and quickly doing up the buttons as she knelt beside him.

"Get away! Get away!" He screamed at her, as his eyes turned a dangerous yellow color.

"No, Klaus what's happening?" Caroline responded, as she stroked his forehead gently; refusing to be repulsed by the way his body was contorting.

"The change; it's happening, we triggered it." He rasped out, panting heavily at the pain.

"You're going to be fine, just breathe; you can stop it." She said soothingly.

"NO. Caroline I can't control what happens when I change - you need to leave, I might hurt  
you!" He shouted, just as the skin on his face began to shift, and his teeth elongated and sharpened, his jaw extending.

Caroline heard the final snap of a bone and before her stood a wolf; a pretty confused, angry  
looking one. That was approaching on her fast, she backed up, but he continued to advance on her; growling…

"Klaus, Klaus; I know you just changed and you're confused, but it's me – Caroline." She muttered out, not allowing her fear to get the better of her. It seemed however that her comforting speech was having no effect. She could see no trace of her wolf on his features; she continued backing up until she hit the counter, Klaus took a swipe at her and his claws caught her on the side of her face, drawing blood in a long line extending from her temple to her chin.

"Ohmygod!" Caroline exclaimed in pain, letting out a gasp; her hand flying to her face. This seemed to snap Klaus from his current state of mind, she saw in his blue eyes a look of shame and guilt; despite the fact he was still in wolf form. He hung his head low and padded through to his bedroom.

"No; Klaus, it's okay – it was just an accident, I understand!" She shouted at the retreating wolf; he however took no notice.

Caroline let out a sigh before finding the first aid kit, cutting a large piece of bandage and taping it to her face. Man, she knew that was going to be an ugly scar that could take possibly years to heal – yet somehow the only thing she felt herself worrying about was Klaus. Once she'd secured the bandage she grabbed some pain relief pills from the cupboard and took two, hoping it would numb the throbbing pain.

In the meantime she knew she needed to give Klaus some space, she assessed the mess they had made, both because of their enthusiastic display of affection and Klaus's transition. She found the dustpan and set to work clearing up the place. She knew it wouldn't take too long.

Whilst Caroline was clearing up, Klaus had made his way into his room; his human mind in his wolf form was utterly disgusted by his actions towards Caroline. He had actually hurt her; something he swore he would never, ever do; something he promised himself, yet he broke it already. – Maybe it was too dangerous for him to be around Caroline?

When Caroline was done clearing up their mess she knew it was time to confront Klaus despite the fact he would be unable to respond in his wolf form. She paced through to his room and pushed open the door. As she walked in Klaus turned his face away from her and let out a whine of shame.

"NO, don't you dare be like this Klaus! You didn't mean to do this, it doesn't even hurt that much, I don't care about it okay! I only care about you." Caroline admitted honestly, surprising herself as she realized how true that was. In less than a week Klaus had become the most important feature in her life.

Klaus looked up and she saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes, he rolled onto his side making room for her on his bed. Caroline tugged her phone from her pocket and sent a message to her mom.

_Hey mom,  
I hope it's okay, but Elena asked me to sleepover, so I'll see you sometime tomorrow? Xx_

With that she pushed her phone into her jacket pocket, before pulling it off and slinging it over a chair. She then slipped of her shoes and clambered into Klaus bed. Tugging back the covers and crawling underneath. She cupped a hand around Klaus's face before speaking.

"I guess that dinner idea's over; I'll just have to make us breakfast instead." She said with a small smile, before moving closer to him and closing her eyes.

Klaus, in his werewolf form, watched as Caroline slept; he couldn't believe how he'd gotten so lucky. He'd managed to find a woman who understood and embraced his werewolf side – who he had harmed but she brushed it off like it was nothing. Women like Caroline were one in a million and he knew that he would never let her go. There were so many things he wanted to say to her if only he were in his human form. Never mind, he followed her example and closed his eyes, hoping that when he awoke he'd be back in his normal form.

Caroline opened one eye as she awoke and saw that Klaus's alarm read 7:00am, beside her she saw Klaus's, yet again, very naked figure. She pulled back the covers, clambered out of bed and over to the opposite side of the room where she grabbed a blanket and covered Klaus with it. She then curled up beside him and closed her eyes feeling content.

"Thanks." Klaus muttered softly beside her, she was shocked to find he was awake.

"My pleasure…" She mumbled back as she turned to face him.

"I'm sorry." Klaus muttered simply. As he raised his hand to her face and gently removed the bandage from the side of her face. He furrowed his brow in anger and guilt as he took in the nasty cut along the side of Caroline's face; he slowly ran his thumb across it, not quite believing he'd hurt her.

"Caroline, when I'm first in my wolf form I don't understand where I am or what I am doing; I can't believe I did that to you…" He continued, ashamed by his actions.

"I know Klaus, I know…" She replied softly.

Klaus lowered his lips to her face and pressed a line of small kisses along the cut; Caroline mumbled in appreciation. He continued, kissing down her neck, just as he reached her collarbone a loud sound interrupted him.

"Was that your stomach?!" He exclaimed, as he looked up at Caroline.

"What? We skipped dinner last night!" She responded indignantly as a blush rose in her cheeks.

"Well I guess that's our cue to get up then…" Klaus muttered with regret. He pulled on his clothes and then held out his hand to help Caroline up. They padded through to the kitchen hand in hand. Caroline opened the fridge and pulled out some bacon, eggs and mushrooms. She then got a fresh loaf of bread from her shopping bag.

"A fry up it is then!" Caroline exclaimed, and Klaus laughed at her enthusiasm.

They got out frying pans and together prepared their breakfast. When it was complete they sat and ate together, it felt like they had been doing this for years. They finished up quickly and left their plates on the side; Caroline glanced at her watch and saw that it was getting late.

"I should be getting back, time's getting on and I don't want my mom getting suspicious." Caroline said with regret that she had to leave.

"Okay love, one last thing." Klaus responded, before grabbing the first aid box and pulling out some cream and bandages, he softly applied the cream to her cut and bandaged it up.

"We should do this again sometime?" Klaus inquired, quite nervously as he opened the door for Caroline.

"We definitely should." She exclaimed before leaning up on her tiptoes and capturing his lips within hers, Klaus managed to drag out the kiss for quite a while despite the time limit.

"Okay, okay; as great as this is, and as much as I don't really want to go – I really have to!" Caroline said rapidly, before pressing another quick kiss to his lips and quite literally running from his house before she could get distracted again…

As he watched Caroline retreat, Klaus remembered the red cloak he had pulled from the closet; he had forgotten to give it to her – he knew she'd make the cutest red riding hood ever…

**Hello!****  
****Massive apologies for such a late update, I've been on holiday and just generally running low on ideas and inspiration – so sorry if this chapter isn't as good as you may have hoped. I just wanted to try and post something for you. Thank you for all the reviews and reviews for this chapter would be very much appreciated.  
Thanks! :D**


	6. Party gone wrong

Caroline made her way home smiling; she couldn't think of any time that she had been happier. - thinking about it she guessed she should have been a bit freaked out, after all she did just get attacked by a werewolf. However, she knew that he would never purposefully hurt her.

She had text Elena and arranged to do some pre-party shopping with her and Bonnie; after all she decided it was about time she spent some time with her friends considering she hadn't seen them in quite a while seeing as she had been in the woods often and spending time with Klaus. The thought of going to a party in the woods also thrilled her, breaking town law was one thing; but breaking it with a whole load of school friends late at night was way better. Also knowing that Klaus would only be a short walk away from her totally helped too, she felt the smile form on her lips once again just thinking about him. She couldn't help but think what her mother would say if she knew; she'd only just met this man and she knew practically nothing about him, but yet she'd fallen for him in a matter of days, if you add the danger and supernatural element on top of that then in her mother's eyes he would definitely be a no go zone. She also knew that her friends wouldn't approve either, she knew that she would have to keep it a secret from them too – but this was a secret Caroline didn't mind keeping, because it was more than worth it…

Caroline pulled her compact mirror out from her bag and assessed the cut on her cheek, it was red and had just began to scab over; it looked hideous and she couldn't help but feel sad about what it would look like. Having a scar down one side of her face would definitely not help her appearance, but once it had healed she could start covering it with foundation, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. For now however, it was; she did her best to try and think up a convincing lie to tell people how it happened. She slipped? She tripped? Ran into a wall? No, none of them were quite convincing enough as it definitely had the distinct shape of a claw mark; hmmm… she decided to tell them she tripped with a metal pointed nail file in her hand, because those things are sharp and lethal; it was just the right piece of equipment that could leave a long cut like that along her face.

"Ohmygod! Care, what happened to your face!?" Elena exclaimed the moment she set eyes on Caroline's face. She then had to tell the lie to Elena and Bonnie as convincingly as possible, they looked suspicious but went along with it anyway; thank god for that.

"So, we've got at least two hours of shopping time so we can leave ourselves enough time to get ready!" Elena exclaimed, and Caroline was thankful for the distraction.

Meanwhile, Klaus was clearing up the remainder of his mess from the night before. However, all he could think about was the fact that he'd hurt Caroline; he'd left that ragged red scar down the side of her cheek and she was bound to have it for a long, _long_ time. He liked to think that it had been a onetime occurrence and that he wouldn't lose control if he and Caroline got intimate again; but it wasn't something that he could guarantee. Throughout his life there were many things that Klaus had learnt, he'd learnt to be the alpha, he learnt to keep his anger and temper in check to prevent transforming; but the one thing he'd never had practice with was how his desire would cause him to shift. Never before had he met a woman like Caroline; he thought back to the first day that he'd seen her in the woods – he'd been drawn to her immediately, her beauty and her light. How she stood out as she paced through the woods in her shocking red coat with a basket of supplies in hand. Klaus couldn't help but think how different things would have been if he had chosen to set up refuge somewhere else – he never would have met Caroline or got the opportunity to get to know her; his father had always drilled into him that love and desire would be his downfall, and he'd began to believe that too. Until he met Caroline.

Klaus thought back to all the many romantic films he'd had the horror to sit through with his sister; how the two main characters fell for one another in a ridiculously short amount of time when they knew barely nothing about each other. He didn't believe love like that was real or even existed; but he hadn't known Caroline for long, but what he felt for her was definitely stronger than friendship…

He was snapped rapidly from his thoughts as he heard a loud and earsplitting scream; he stood up straight and ran out of his door – he held his nose to the air and breathed deeply; he could smell them.

Wolves.

His skin began to twitch all over and he knew what would happen next, he crouched down on the floor trying to speed up the reaction as his bones began to crack and re-shape. He panted heavily and sweat decorated his brow as the pain set in; no one could really understand having every single bone in your body broken until they really experienced it – they could sympathize yes, but they could never understand…

Once the transformation had finished he began to run rapidly through the forest, following his nose in an attempt to track the wolves; wolves in Mystic Falls meant bad news, it meant the possibility of him being found.

Klaus reached a clearing where the smell of wolf was over powering, as he paced forward slightly more a growl escaped his throat as he saw two bodies lying on the ground before him; their clothes were ripped to shreds and the ground surrounding them was drenched in blood. He inched forward and saw the red and ragged bite marks that littered the bodies of the two girls.

No wonder the scent of wolf had been so strong; this is where they had found their last meal.

He was sympathetic and angry for the loss of life; but he couldn't help but feel furious for selfish reasons, someone was going to find these bodies which would mean people coming hunting in the woods again – if he was discovered in wolf form he could be killed or recognized and would never be able to come back. Even worse, if his home deep in the woods was discovered by town members or the police there would be questions; questions that he would probably find difficult to answer.

Looking down at the bodies of the women again he saw they both had the same traits; they were blonde, skinny and in their early twenties – I shiver of worry travelled through him as he imagined Caroline in this position; she wasn't safe here and he knew he had to do something about it.

Conveniently, he knew just the right thing to do.

Caroline hadn't been quite convinced about the party; she'd have much rather spent some time with Klaus getting to know him some more, or maybe completing the piles of work she had at home. However, now just as it was beginning to get dark and she was strolling towards the entrance to the woods with Bonnie and Elena, and the rest of their classmates either ahead of them or not too far behind. The atmosphere was sparking, and everyone surrounding them was buzzing with excitement; it was a big thing, they were all breaking curfew _and _going into the woods, after-all they were only the senior class once.

Caroline looked up and saw Stefan not too far behind with the jocks, rolling the thousands of kegs to keep the night going. She couldn't help but crack a smile; she was excited, it had been a while since she'd gone to a party and tonight she was just going to enjoy herself, no worries about anything other than having fun.

Jealousy rippled through Klaus as he heard the pump of the music through the forest; it was two in the morning and he knew that was where Caroline was. He understood that Caroline had other friends, but he thought she would have at least visited him by now.

He decided there was no use moping around because, he, Klaus Mikaelson, did not mope.

Caroline by now, had way too much to drink; to be quite honest she was pretty sure that she had drank the majority of a keg herself, it was a miracle she was still standing; she swayed side to side in time with the music she wasn't sure if it was on purpose or if it was the alcohol doing the dancing. She laughed as she stared over at Bonnie and Elena who seemed pretty much to be in the same position as her, well, through her blurred vision anyway.

"Hey Care, come talk to me- I haven't seen you in so long!" Tyler exclaimed from across the field, he rapidly came jogging towards her, sadly not in a straight line due to the late stage of the night.

"I know Tyler!" Caroline replied enthusiastically, before throwing her arms around him. Sadly, in her intoxicated state she didn't realize how she'd vowed she'd never speak to Tyler again after their breakup, how she wouldn't even go near him.

Klaus set to work on a painting, he hadn't painted in a long time; not since he'd left his family home – he'd just never had the inspiration, however since the move to Mystic Falls he'd suddenly found himself a new muse. And he may want to deny it but she did just so happen to have blonde hair and blue eyes.

Caroline couldn't quite make sense of what was going on around her, she had blurred vision and it was dark all around. She could hear the pumping of the music and voices in the distance, but she was quite a way from the other party people now. She'd chosen a poor choice of outfit, it was cold and she was numb all over. However, the one thing she could feel was the hand that was drifting slowly up her leg and the lips pressed to her neck. She wasn't quite sure whose they were? – Tyler's?

She couldn't remember.

All she knew was she wanted it to stop.

"Get off." Caroline managed to mumble out, jerking her neck away from the owner of the lips.

"Care, babe – Don't be a tease, why wear a pretty dress just to reject me?" Tyler's voice said harshly. Pushing her back against a tree, his hands beginning to push her jacket from her shoulders.

"Tyler, no! Get off!" Caroline exclaimed, louder this time, it still seemed to have no effect; the music was too loud.

Klaus put down his paint brush and walked through to the kitchen, he'd been painting longer than he realized and needed a coffee break. He pulled a mug from the cupboard and started up the coffee machine, he stared aimlessly at the ceiling.

"NO. TYLER NO!" Klaus sat up straight in horror and was out of his door before he even realized. He would recognize that voice anywhere:

It was Caroline and she sounded distressed.

He ran through the forest, following both the sound of her voice and her scent; he didn't shift into his wolf form, his muscles tightened and his bones tensed but he resisted the feeling – He couldn't risk being seen by any of the school students. The fact that he was constricted to his human abilities annoyed him but spurred him on.

Her voice became louder and he saw Caroline pushed against a tree with a muscular boy restraining her.

"What do you think you're doing mate?" Klaus's shouted his voice cold and dangerous. Tyler turned his head to see Klaus, but never released his grip on Caroline. An evil smile formed on Tyler's drunken features, only infuriating Klaus further.

"Don't stare dick; can't you see we're trying to have a good time?" Tyler replied in an equally as cold tone, attempting to stare down Klaus in the darkness.

"I think you'll find that _you're _trying to have a good time, and Caroline here is trying to say no." Klaus continued, pacing towards Tyler slowly, watching as Caroline struggled under his grip.

"You think you know something? Well, you don't know shit – I know Caroline Forbes dick, and let me tell you this is exactly how she likes it." Tyler spat out with a disgusting smile; the innuendo in his voice pushed Klaus over the edge. He finally realized who this guy was; Caroline's ex-boyfriend, and somehow that just made him madder. He rushed at Tyler and punched him square around the face. Tyler's face snapped to the side and he released his grip on Caroline who crumpled to the ground, her whimpers becoming louder.

Klaus began to make his way towards her, but Tyler got back up and blocked his path.

"See, right up until a few moments ago; I had no problem with you – but now, well now you made me angry." Tyler said viciously, before kicking Klaus hard in the stomach causing him to double over.

"Tyler no!" Caroline spluttered out, as she watched him kicking Klaus who was writhing in agony on the floor.

"Shut up ." Tyler replied, and continued his assault on Klaus.

"Klaus, fight back!" Caroline begged at his apparently defeated form. Yet she saw no evidence of him getting away.

A cocky smirk found its way onto Tyler's features as he knew he had won; he turned away and began to walk back towards Caroline.

"Well, where were we?" He asked cruelly as he bent down towards her, his face looming closer; however he then collapsed on her completely.

"Ohmygod?!" Caroline exclaimed, as she pushed Tyler's unconscious form from her body and saw Klaus looming above him, still holding the rock he'd used to knock Tyler out.

"But you were hurt, unconscious?!" Caroline spluttered in shock.

"Haven't you heard of the boy who cried wolf sweetheart?" Klaus said teasingly.

"You alright love?" He said holding one hand out towards her.

"Yes, ye-" She began to say, but then suddenly the composure she had tried so hard to create broke.

"Sweetheart, sweetheart…" Klaus muttered under his breath as he knelt down beside her and gathered her shivering form into his arms, one arm securely behind her back and the other behind her knees. He then slowly began to make the walk back to his house.

"I'm sorry Klaus, I'm sorry; I'm drunk… I don't know what happened, and know you're here saving me again, Ohmygod I'm sorry…" Caroline began to babble uncontrollably, tears beginning to break and run down her cheeks as the night began to overwhelm her.

"Shhh….love, nothing is your fault, nothing that has happened tonight is your fault. Everyone gets drunk once in a while; it's part of life. I'm not going to hold any of that against you; and as for me saving you, well love; if it were a full time job I'd be the first applicant…" Klaus said quietly into her ear, a cheeky tone in his voice.

"Thanks." She said simply, before promptly passing out on his shoulder.

**Hi!**  
**Sorry that it's taken me so long to update, I've had major writers block and school and work are quite literally taking over my life! – Thank you for all the reviews on the previous chapters, I always love to hear what you think.**  
**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please continue to read, review and follow. **


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